Recent Magical Discoveries
by Writer
Summary: A textbook that almost never comes up in the series, but glancingly mentioned in the first book... Please review.


Recent Magical Discoveries,  
  
  
By Matherin Workamile.  
  
Introduction.  
  
The Magical Community is a fascinating world. Compared to the average Muggle Town   
(Which I have experienced) it is the most interesting, the most fascinating, the most  
captivating...  
And the most dangerous.  
In my studies, I will recount most recent spells and discoveries that I have researched.   
I will also touch briefly on Muggle Magic. This wonderful opportunity to get up to   
date on Magic (and brag about it at tea-time) is presented to you with extra updates   
and revisions.Please read it, but if not, throw it into the fire for warmth, so that this   
book will have some use.  
  
  
Matherin Workamile  
  
Chapter One  
  
Dark Arts  
  
In the recent rampage of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named and his followers, there  
has been an extra spurt on Dark discoveries: curses and artifacts. Though only   
seventy years ago there were only three thousand recorded dark curses, the list  
has now swelled to five thousand. Dark Artifacts have been created out of the   
most harmless items, such as parchment, and there have been eighty more artifacts   
added to the rather small list of previously listed Dark Objects.  
Curses  
  
The Unforgivable Curses  
  
There are three curses that have been deemed the Unforgivable Curses. Developed  
by the Dark Lord himself, they had been nonexistent only thirty years ago. They are:  
Avada Kedavra: This curse has been named "The worst curse ever discovered."   
Though others objected, the popular idea has already been stabilized.  
Avada Kedavra produces instant death. Witnesses report that there is  
"A blinding flash of green light, a sound of Death with wings on the air, and the   
Morgue is seen." Cryptic as this account sounds, it is simple. There is a flash of   
green light, a whooshing  
sound, and the victim is dead.  
Crucio: This curse has rendered the dark torture methods of the past useless.   
This curse gives its victim extreme pain. One tortured muggle had been interrogated,  
" I was walking down the street, now, and then this blighter behind me shouts something  
at me. I was going to turn and give that man a good talking-too, see, and then he says  
something else. And then I couldn't feel anything but pain. I was in the army once, and  
had a bullet stuck in my lung some time. The military surgeons had no anesthetic, so they  
had to cut the damn bullet out with me live and awake. It hurt that time, but nothing like  
it was with this damned blighter." The muggle had his memory erased afterwards.  
(For those of you who are wondering, a bullet is a metal piece that flies at high speed,  
intended to hurt the victim.)  
Imperio: A victim subject to this curse has reported, "There was a feeling of bliss as  
every one of my gloomy thoughts and memories were completely wiped away.  
But then as I experienced this paradise for only a few seconds, there was this   
blasted voice that chanted at me to go and kill this other man standing in front of  
me. I raised my wand to kill the man, but suddenly this other voice says, 'Don't kill  
him. He's your father. Don't kill him. He's your father.' I suddenly was popped  
out of the paradise and staring at this man with a mask on his face. He Disapparated,   
and I was left feeling very confused." As this account vividly describes, the Imperius  
Curse completely controls other people. However, if one has a strong enough mind,   
they can resist. Other witnesses of a victim subject to the Imperius Curse who was  
resisting would see the victim's eyes rolling wildly, and s/he would appear to be insane.  
The Dark Lord and Death Eaters have mainly used these three curses.   
Developed by the Dark Lord himself, one childhood friend (A Death Eater) vividly   
describes the experimenting.  
I had been working for my master for many years now, almost thirty,   
but never had I seen anything similar to the likes of this. My master had various  
colored ferrets chained to a stone wall, along with an unfortunate Death Eater who   
had blundered on a mission. He was sobbing uncontrollably, and cried out most   
piteously at my master.  
"Forgive me! Forgive me, please my Lord! I will never fail you again!"   
the fool cried out again and again. My master told me to quiet him, and I readied   
my want to kill him, but my master stopped me.   
"No, fool, just quiet him." I indicated I understood, and said "Vocalur  
Mortis." The man chained to the wall could speak no more. His mouth opened   
wide and several long rods coated with blood came flying out.   
"Those are your vocal cords," said my master, amused, to the speechless  
man. My master then turned to one of the ferrets and muttered a curse I could not  
hear. There was a blinding flash of white light, and a moment later, the ferret was   
writhing disgustingly. Then it was dead. My master turned to me.  
"That is my latest curse," he said. "Avade Kandanvra almost instant   
death. It is my most powerful curse yet." He then paused to smile, and continued.   
"My friend here will suffer the same fate as the unfortunate ferret." Then he turned  
, screamed "AVADE KANDANVRA!" The blinding flash of white light made its  
appearance once more, the man chained to the wall writhed again, and died.  
Many interesting facts appear in this gruesome dialogue. "Vocalur  
Mortis" had been until now, unknown to the magical community. Though not  
listed under the Unforgivable Curses, this curse has been outlawed.  
Another interesting concept is "Avade Kandanvra." Though similar  
to the Avada Kedavra, however, it is different as the latter produces green light  
and kills its unfortunate victim instantly.   
There are no written instances on the development of the Imperio  
or Crucio, but many captured Death Eaters confirmed that the Dark Lord had  
indeed created them.  
  



End file.
